It was my zip-lining day in Arenal. “Another zip-lining blog? Haven’t you already written three?” My wife was visibly fed up. But she was so right! “Well, I promise, this will be the last one,” - I told her. The only reason I am writing this because I want to share the spectacular view of the mountain and the lake Arenal, when I was zipping high over the forest. I tell you, the view was just out of this world. If your trip takes you to Arenal and if you like zip-lining, I strongly suggest, DON’T MISS IT. You would love every second of it! So, true to my promise, it will be a short blog. But I invite you to watch the short video clip using my sun-glass video. Enjoy the quick view; then you ... read more

The bus rolled along the winding road from the Trapp family Lodge and took a right turn to the main road at the junction. I am traveling to my next destination Arenal. These were the two good days I spent in Monteverde. Zip lines were awesome. No, we won’t discuss zip line today. We talked all about zip lining in the last two blogs. Let’s change the topic here. I would like to tell you the story about a Costa Rican family who took me close to their heart and made me feel home. On the way to Arenal We changed the bus outside Monteverde. Then we took the main Highway No. 606 through the rolling hills of Alajuela. A green carpet of nature is spread across the silent hills and pastures all around us. It ... read more

We were deep asleep. Someone started banging our door. I woke up in the dark and thought it was a robbery. I shouted, “Who the hell is this”? Dipankar was sitting on his bed. I jumped out of the bed; Dipankar said, be careful. I went to the glass door and moved the curtain. The day break has started outside. I saw a silhouette figure with a shawl wrapped around his head standing near the door. I didn’t open the door first, but shouted from inside, “What’s the matter”. The guy shouted back, “It’s your wake up call”, and then went to the next door to do the same. I was taken aback at this new style of wake up call. Perhaps this is the Costa Rican way! But how that can be? It was fine ... read more

The last two days were loaded. I was dog tired and slept like a log when the wakeup call buzzed in the morning. I suddenly woke up with the ring, but I couldn’t figure out where I am. Then Dipankar yawned from the other bed. Damn it! It’s time to get ready; another loaded day. Salvatura Park It started as a cloudy day. We finished our breakfast while sitting inside the restaurant and waiting for the shuttle. The shuttle picked us up from the hotel at 8:30 am and headed towards the Salvatura Park. The park entrance is quite elaborate. Unlike the Sky Trek, Salvatura Park has other attractions apart from zip lining. We planned to do some tree top walking through the rain forest after zip lining, and of course, the famous butterfly garden is ... read more

“That’s it! These two guys are going to fight each other to death during the trip. “ “You know, even if they do survive, that would be the end of their friendship…what do you think?” “Absolutely, they won’t see each other’s face after they return, I can bet.” “Well, let them go! We will watch the fun from the sideline”. This was the conversation, and possibly wishful thinking of our respective spouses before Dipankar and I headed out to our fun-trip to Costa Rica. The spouses had a choice of joining us, but they declined. No, Dipankar and I didn’t kill each other during the trip and we are very much alive. We had fun of a life-time and we are living happily ever after as good friends! This is a preamble. ***** I don’t know ... read more

It is not a tourist destination by any means. Rather, oil and gas industry people are the majority who roam around this place. And the rest of the people are hotel employee. This is a cold place near the Alaska Highway. In fact Alaska Highway starts from Dawson Creek in the northern BC. There is no commercial airport in Dawson Creek. One has to fly to Fort St. John which has only few direct flights from Calgary. Yes, I travelled to Dawson Creek and Fort St. John couple of weeks ago due to my work. When I travel to any place that is work related, the time just flies…work all day, grab some coffee and sandwich during the day, get a quick dinner and hit the bed. By the time work is all done, it is ... read more

No, I am not talking about the New York City. In the past, I roamed around the lower and upper Manhattan in odd hours in the night with my friends and Suman, my future wife. We circled in the Central Park, hung around in the Greenwich Village tasting their famous onion rings, landed in the dark alleys of Harlem in the middle of the night. Yes, those were my fun days from the yesteryears. And that’s when we came to know that the New York City never sleeps. But I am not talking about the New York City here; that’s the story for another day. It’s another city that stands in the opposite side of the globe, and I found it also never sleeps. You got it! It’s Hong Kong. I was flying to Hong Kong ... read more

India is a diverse country. Many from all over the world travel to destinations like Taj Mahal, Delhi, Jaipur, Udaypur, backwater of Kerala, Mysore and many, many more. Each place has its own signature, own story to tell. They have their historic footprints, natural beauties, lovely sea beaches, or tropical forests. I have travelled to many of these tourist meccas when I grew up in India and later, when I visited during my trips. But the places closer to my heart are not one of them. It is my love for the obscure hills of Santal Paraganas, now called Jharkhand, that always drove me crazy. Chahal, Chungru, Latehar, Daltonganj, Ranchi, Hazaribag, Baghmundi, where the red dusts from the dry earth fly around in the summer winds, the big Sal trees make canopy over the lonely roads ... read more

I woke up with the telephone buzzing on my bed side table. My wake up call. I looked at the clock, its 6:00 am. Usually I am up by this time without any wake up call. Last night I was tired. It’s more than 10 days now, and I have been always on the go from the morning until sundown. My body needs a break. I suddenly remembered, today is my last full day in Vietnam…I’m leaving tomorrow. I felt sad. In the past 10 days or so, I traveled many places from the North to the Central to the South of Vietnam. I fell in love with this country and the people. I lied down on the bed for five more minutes, just relaxing and thinking about my journey to Vietnam. Slowly, I glanced at ... read more

I was busy taking some photos from my window seat when the aircraft was approaching the Ho Chi Minh city (HCMC) airport. To my delight, it was a sunny afternoon once again and I had a good opportunity to do some aerial photography before landing. I looked around and I saw buildings all over the places once I crossed the Mekong delta. HCMC is a populated city alright! Once the flight landed, I collected my luggage and came out of the terminal. I was going to stay at Silverland hotel for three nights, and the deal was that the hotel would arrange my transportation from the airport. I looked around and it was not difficult for me to identify the gentleman holding the signboard bearing my name. After the initial ‘Hi, Hello’, I was transferred to ... read more

My father grew up amid the green hills of Assam in India. When I was a little boy, I went with him to see the vastness of nature, holding his hand. He is the one who instilled the love for nature in me; everything I love in nature today, I owe to him.
I have lived in Canada for many years now, but my love for nature and the outdoors is everlasting. Travelling and photography are my passions. Although I visit tourist areas, I rarely spend time there unless there are historic interests. I often travel off the beaten paths of jungles, mountains and rural areas. While travelling to such places... full info